Fat hurts wrote:
Dr. Racket wrote:
Mass adoption is really gonna require infrastructure for people who live in cities and park on the streets or otherwise don't have access to some form of overnight charging.
The Audi CEO actually made an interesting argument for why they think range will actually decrease in the future. It's a bit avant garde but I kinda see the point - once infrastructure is up and you can recharge in 5 minutes or less then there's no need for a lot of big, expensive, heavy batteries. That seems like at least a decade or more away.
The other problem I have with EVs right now is that they mostly seem like appliances. With the exception of a few high end models like the e-Tron GT and the Taycan, it seems like EVs are marketed to people who hate driving and really wish they didn't have to (hence a big push for things like auto-pilot and a whole bunch of in car accessories and screens). Anyone who thinks a Chevy Bolt is "actually a really great car!" is probably someone who doesn't really care much for cars to begin with.
Motor Trend made the Chevy Bolt its "Car of the Year" in 2017. Do you think Motor Trend doesn't really care much for cars?
You are correct that mass adoption will require a lot more charging options. If everyone was able to magically switch to EVs today we wouldn't have enough chargers. But as I've said before, it's really easy to build out the infrastructure. A charging station is little more than a glorified extension cord. And you can put a charging station almost anywhere.
The largest obstacle to mass adoption is battery production. We can't build EV batteries fast enough to meet demand. And that's a lot harder to do.
Motor Trend. Lolz. Yep. Hang your hat on that. EVs will get better in a few years. Battery tech and infrastructure improvements will make it less frustrating and more convenient to have one. Until now as you’ve documented in this very thread they are very inconvenient to own and frustrating today. Four or five years ago they were mind-numbingly frustrating to own and inconceivably inconvenient. You had to plan your entire day around driving. How frustrating is that. Very. How inconvenient is that. Very.